


Cruel

by FreddieFcknMercury



Category: Cable and Deadpool, Deadpool (Movieverse), Deadpool - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Cable imagine, Cable x reader - Freeform, Crying, Gen, Illness, METAL ARM, Mutant Reader, Other, Parasite - Freeform, Telepath, Telepathy, Virus, alluding to death, nathan Summers imagine, platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 07:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16322231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreddieFcknMercury/pseuds/FreddieFcknMercury
Summary: Telepathic Reader gets a glimpse at what Cable is really going through.





	Cruel

**Author's Note:**

> This is work 3/5 for my 2018 Inktober challenge. This week's prompt was "Cruel."  
> I went with a"cruel world."

You leave your helmet on throughout most of the flight back, the weight of the metal makes you feel safe when trying to decompress. Plus you don't need anyone's extra thoughts and memories gunking up your own. The team knows not to bother you while you're wearing it. Missions are always a bit difficult for you even if you're only on recons. You're not invulnerable but being a telepath means you're valuable enough to protect, that's why Cable got assigned to you in the first place.  
Neither of you talks to anyone much but you've ended up talking to each other often. He's actually a really okay, he just keeps getting hit with life's shit stick and it's made him abrasive. The entire world has been cruel to him, so you decided not to be. You opened up to each other and that's rare. You trust him to keep you safe and he trusts you to watch his back.

When the jet lands you're the first out, as always. Cable trailing close behind.  
"You did great today." he reached over to squeeze your shoulder with his metal hand just as the mansion doors opened. An electric sensation filled you with the low hum of dread. These aren't his thoughts. You know what Cable sounds like. This isnt what any person sounds like. It feels wrong. You pause for a second and he doesn't seem to notice you lagging behind. You decide to listen in on him but they're normal thoughts nothing like what you just felt rush through you. He finally feels your abscence next to him and turns back to find you. 

"Ready to go?" He's concerned but just thinking you're still not all there after the mission.

"...Can we talk? Alone." He squints slightly and nods once. You lead him into an empty study room.

"What is it?"

"I... heard something weird."

"Weird how?" He furrows his brow and you bite down on the knuckle of your pointer finger contemplating how to ask him this.

"Cable are you... are you okay? I mean, are you in pain?"

"You mean today? That guy just got a lucky hit off, I'll be fine." He rubs his side for you to see. Some idiot swung a metal beam at him and that put him on the ground. It did concern you at the time, you're glad to be reassured of that as well though.

"No I mean..." you trail off lifting your hand to stroke his arm but stopping yourself short.

He follows your line of sight. Taking a deep breath and dropping his gaze to fiddle with something on the desk, you're too preoccupied to notice what.  
"It's doesn't feel great, no."

You shut your eyes trying to fight back the emotions and get some words out clearly first.  
"...I can hear it. When you touch me." He looks at you hard, like you've just found him out.

"Do you mean it spoke to you?" 

"No no it was kinda like... listening to running water? Like there's long streams of numbers or formulas I don't recognise. It's not thoughts or words but it's really intense." He straightens up. You can't read his face but you can tell he's uncomfortable.  
"It's alive, isn't it?"

He sighs in defeat.  
"It's a technorganic virus."

"Virus..." You move to lean against the desk in the room and slide your hands to your knees.

"I was injected with it when I was a kid." It's worse than you thought. More than anything you thought actually.

"A parasite. Spreading, eating at you."

"I told you not to snoop around in my head. You wouldn't like it."

"I don't snoop. Especially not in your head. I don't wanna be anywhere near whatever war memories you've got, and I think more of you than that." He recognised that as a compliment but the stress filling the room is too thick to leave space for addressing it right now.  
"Besides, that started it... It's like getting punched in the head. It's already got your arm and..." you stop, remembering the metal embedded into his chest. He's mostly still skin and flesh as far as you can see, but his entire left arm and part of his left side has been consumed already. You take a deep shaky breath and step in front of him. Splaying your hand over his left breast, you close your eyes to concentrate hoping that you're wrong. That everything is normal and he's not that bad off yet. But after a hard minute of searching you come up empty. You gasp covering your mouth with a hand, letting a few light tears roll down your face. You can feel yourself shake.  
"...Nathan your heart."

He snickers.  
"I guess this just makes me a monster now huh." You lock eyes with him. He's blurry through the tears but you manage to choke out your protest.

"No..." you can't breathe or that would've been a lot more convincing.

"It's Okay. I'd be afraid of me too." He's trying to console you but it's more for his sake than yours. He's still wrong though.

"No... I'm." You clear your throat and he gives you a half sour look, waiting for you to say something that might change his own opinion of himself.  
"I'm afraid for you, Nathan."  
He raises his head, crossing his arms. He believes you, but he's still not convinced he isn't a monster. You shake your head, hoping to rattle some thoughts together.  
"This is scary... I don't know how to fix it, I'm not even sure I could. But you are not a monster. I want to help you, I'm sure we all would. Or at least be here for you when..." you trail off getting lost in his somber expression. You shake your head, almost in disbelief.  
"I don't know what to say."

Your friend is dying. Your friend is dying and there's not a damn thing you can do but watch it happen. Death is literally crawling all over him and it's already taken enough to make sure you can't save him.  
Your chest starts to heave and he decides he's had enough of you sobbing. This fortress of a man wraps an arm snuggly around your waist and places the other hand delicately on top of your head. He holds you like that for a long moment. Until both of your breathing steadies.

"It's a lot to burden any one with, especially someone who needs me. So I'm going to be very selfish and ask you..."  
He grabs each side of your face and makes you look up at him. You're upset to find him with his own tears welling up. Cable doesn't cry. Or at least he didn't...  
"Just forget it."


End file.
